Occupy LA - Occupy Fights Foreclosures, Community and Faith Leaders Join in a Call to Action

Occupy Fights Foreclosures announces an action to help stop an illegal eviction in Ontario, California.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MEDIA RELEASE

WHO: Occupy Fights Foreclosures, Church members and leadersWHEN: 8 a.m. Tuesday July 31 2012WHERE: 925 W. Locust Street, Ontario, CA 91762WHAT: Prayer Vigil and Protest Against Fraudulent Eviction of Homeowner Whose Family Has Owned the Home Since 1974

COMMUNITY AND FAITH LEADERS JOIN IN PRAYER AND CALL FOR ACTIONAGAINST FAMILY'S EVICTION DUE TO FRAUD AND DUAL TRACKING, NOW ILLEGAL

ONTARIO — Barbara Bratton and family are joined Tuesday by faith leaders, church congregation members, and Occupy Fights Foreclosures as they face eviction from the Ontario home the family has lived in for almost 40 years. Neighbors and members of the Bratton's family church will participate in prayer, and call for justice for homeowners being thrown out of their homes due to practices such as dual-tracking now made illegal following the signing by Governor Jerry Brown of the California Homeowners Bill of Rights.

The Brattons allege the refinance loan they obtained from Countrywide was fraudulent — it imposed an adjustable rate loan after the Brattons signed a fixed rate loan. The Brattons' immediate complaint about the switch was just the beginning of a saga that has been a seven-year nightmare for the Bratton family, one that has resulted in a federal law suit and FBI case.

The family was strung along on a loan modification track by a series of new loan servicers who, at the same time, proceeded to foreclose — the common practice known as dual tracking, now illegal. The loan servicer proceeded to sell the home, order an eviction, then mysteriously cancelled the sale, then somehow reoriginated the loan.

A string of zig-zagging title transfers followed. The long list of companies with blandly ambiguous names that claim to have authority over the property make it almost impossible to determine which, if any, company has legal right for any action. The Brattons faced foreclosure again after the family's payments were rejected. The foreclosing agent — Select Portfolio — claims to represent US Bank. Yet US Bank specifically confirmed to the Brattons that it is not the trustee on their loan, has no claim to the property and cannot foreclose.

Despite the pending federal lawsuit and despite the questionable authority of the foreclosing agent, the Brattons still face imminent eviction. They have been locked out of their home and are facing the "trash-out" day whereupon the real estate agent — South Hills Properties — removes all the possessions remaining in the home.

Neighbors, members of their church and other religious leaders participate Tuesday in prayer and silent vigil for justice, referring to Psalm 103: The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.

"The Brattons have struggled for seven years to preserve the sanctuary of their home," says Carlos Marroquin, Occupy Fights Foreclosures activist. "They have a lawsuit pending in Federal Court against bogus foreclosure sales that had to be cancelled retroactively, phony property titles being filed and erased, and other suspicious maneuvers that have put immense stress on this family. Years of their lives have had to be devoted to fighting this fraud. And this family is a pillar of this community. Neighbors and congregation members rightfully come together to defend this family, create a foreclosure-free zone, and stand with them against this injustice."

An empty house erodes the property values of a neighborhood. And as more foreclsures in this neighborhood are on the way, more neighbors live in fear of a sheriff posting an eviction notice on their doors. Occupy Fights Foreclosures will join with neighbors in calling for investigation of and disciplinary action against unethical practices by loan servicing companies, realtors and attorneys complicit in patterns of fraudulent foreclosure.

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Contact: Carlos Marroquin 323-592-4663Suzanne O'Keeffe 310-467-2947

Update: Things turned out great yesterday after te police was called to the scene. Evidence was presented to them and they determine that it was a wrongful foreclosure based on what it was presented to them and ordered the bank representative off the property.